Planning to visit in SEPTEMBER, what do you think?

[disneyfamilyforever]

We are planning to visit in September 2012 and I was wondering what everyone thought? Have you been there during that time? Is it crowded? Is it hot?


Thanks everyone:mickey:

[Mfarquar]

September is great. Still hot, but not nearly as crowded. We've been going in September since 2005 and love it (previously had been in May, June, July, August, February and November).

Historically, free dining is offered. This has always saved us a LOT of money. Restaurants have been more crowded than the rides. So, the only big word of advice is to make your dining reservations 180 days out, whether or not you go for the free dining.

We're going again in September this year and did not make our reservations for dining 180 days out - we waited a bit because we hadn't even booked yet. We were still able to get just about every restaurant we wanted.

Parks close a bit earlier than during the summer months, but the lack of crowds and the Extra Magic Hours for on-site guests (usually one park is open until at least 9 or 10pm, minimum, per night) give you plenty of time.

Depending when you visit, you may also be able to experience Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (great for little kids, no rides for lines - this is a separately ticketed event).

I think September is a great month to enjoy the parks!

[Daisy'sMom]

We are going to Sept this year for our family reunion. I wanted to wait until Nov when it is cooler. I know the folks from New England will be so hot. Hopefully it will have cooled down but it usually doesn't until middle of Oct.:mickey:

[Mfarquar]

Don't feel too bad about the New Englanders! With the heat wave we had this week, they'll have had good practice by September! It was actually WORSE than our trips to Florida this past Saturday (103 degrees and HUMID)! It was horrible and there weren't any rides with air conditioning to placate me! :mickey:

[paragon]

We LOVE September trips!! We are booked for Sept 14-24!!!! The weather is always great. We ( DW and I ) are New Englanders. We use September WDW trips to extend our summer!!
We also usually go in late April or early May to get an early Spring/Summer start. We decided that these were the best times for us to go, after making a few February trips and becoming too depressed upon arrival at home-back into mid winter :(
So now September is our favorite time of year to go. Still warm, not too crowded, and a great summer extension.

[PETE FROM NYC]

DW and I drove down the last 2 Septs. Before that we usually went mid-March, which is what I like to call flannel shirt weather.
Yes its hot.
The crowds are a bit lighter, but not by to much.
You may want to do MNSSHP. We did and had a blast.
Except for the weather, I think we like Sept better, and our next trip is being planned fpr Sept, 2012, with DWs niece and her bunch.

[Mfarquar]

Good point paragon! Too funny - my husband and I always say the same thing! We're extending summer by going to Disney in September!

[faline]

September is typically a very nice time to visit! You could experience a hurricane (unlikely) and/or a tropical storm during this time frame. Overall, though weather is still quite warm and humid and the weather is generally nice. Crowds tend to be very manageable.

[JenniferS.]

We've gone a few times the first week in Sept. Everyone is back in school and most rides you will experience walk on to about 20 min wait. The more popular rides could be longer. The other poster is right about the restaurants. They do seem more packed than the rides. The only drawback for me is the weather. It is uncomfortably hot and humid. Showers/thunderstorms most afternoons (but they don't last long). I have plenty of pictures of us dripping in sweat....so be prepared...This year we are trying the last week oct/first week Nov and hoping for cooler weather. The kids were too miserable in the heat. If you can stand the heat, then Sept. is the perfect time to go.

[PopPhan]

Of our 9 trips since 2003, 6 have been in the mid to late September time frame....

As previous posters have said, the temps are generally in the upper 80's to low 90's for daytime highs and in the lower 70's for overnight lows. There are chances for afternoon/evening thundershowers almost daily due to the heat and humidity, but most last short periods of time.

Crowd levels are on the low side, but have increased over the years since they started offering the "Free DDP" in the late-August to end of September value period (yearly since 2005.) Most rides still have lines of 20 minutes or less. Notable exceptions are: Soarin', Toy Story Midway Mania, Peter Pan (reasoning behind this still eludes me!! LOL,) Expedition Everest, possibly the new Star Tours (have not been there since it reopened)....

Table service dining is by ADR only!! OK, you MIGHT be able to walk up somewhere, but all the most popular restaurants ('Ohana, Le Cellier, etc.) will be booked solid at the 180+10 mark.

Enjoy your trip!! It's a great time to visit!!

[AllDisney]

I enjoyed our Sept trip a few yrs ago and was surprised at how nice the weather actually was. We had NO humidity while there. Two afternoons we experienced showers that were over in 15 minutes:number1: The temps were in the upper 80's low 90's, always had a refreshing breeze and NO humidity. I think we were really lucky.

Give it a try...after all it's WDW

[WDWCrazyKaren]

We've gone in September just a couple of times, and we were shocked by just how hot it was both times. But we are northerners, and we just don't get along well with the heat. We are much happier in January when it's cooler. The crowds were unbeliveable two years ago in September, and I had recalled from previous trips that it used to be slower, but man, I think things have really picked up there in September! The free dining is awesome though!

[Disney Doll]

I'm not a September fan. Unfortunately it is one of the better months for both DH and I to be away from work, but if I'm going around that time of year I much prefer Oct.

1. September is summer in Florida. It's miserably hot. I come from OK where we are accustomed to triple digit summers and I tolerate heat pretty well, but the humidity adds a whole other level of uncomfortable. You will be sweaty all day.

2. I hate "free" dining. Restaurants are over crowded.

3. The one silver lining in September used to be the low crowds, but with "free" dining crowds have increased. It's still not bad, but increased crowds plus horrible weather and I would rather plan for another time.